The provincial government’s downloading will cost Leeds and Grenville municipalities at least $1.76 million this year alone, the counties joint services committee learned Wednesday.

The additional cost, which will rise to $2.55 million for the full year in 2020, reflects changes in government cost-sharing for child care, Ontario Works and paramedic services. It does not include provincial downloading on other such services as public health, which also will add to the municipal costs.

Andy Brown, chief administrative officer, told committee members that the cuts for funding of child care and Ontario Works programs are mostly targeted at administration costs, and that the core programs are not affected.

On child care, for example, Leeds and Grenville municipalities will have to pick up $355,000 more of the cost of administering the provincially-mandated programs. The government used to pay either 100 per cent or 80 per cent of those administrative costs. Under the new rules that the province imposed effective April 1, the province will cover only half of those costs, and it will reduce the services that qualify for the cost-sharing.

For Ontario Works, local municipal governments will have to pay $299,000 more.

Not all of the downloading is for administrative costs, however. The cost of expanding child-care spaces, which used to be covered 100 per cent by the province, will now be 20 per cent funded at the municipal level.

One of the biggest downloading price tags will come for paramedic services, which will have their budget frozen at last year’s level. That means that the upgrades planned for this year, including the hiring of nine more paramedics and purchase of a new ambulance, will have to be shouldered entirely by the municipalities, instead of a 50/50 split. That will cost $585,400 this year alone.

The 13 Leeds and Grenville mayors met the downloading news on Wednesday with a mixture of anger, angst and resignation.

Although the mayors were concerned with the downloading generally – in the words of Rideau Lakes Mayor Arie Hoogenboom: “Simply dumping on municipalities is not acceptable” – they decided to make their political stand on paramedic services.

Westport Mayor Robin Jones said the government’s action will have a clear impact on the front-line services of first responders in Leeds and Grenville.

So instead of scattergun opposition to the downloads, the counties should concentrate on paramedic services, which is a cause that might strike a chord with the Ford government, said Jones.

The mayors decided to put on hold their plan to build a new paramedic station to meet increases in demand for ambulance service. Paramedic Chief Chris Lloyd advised the mayors to hold off until they get a better picture of the government’s plans.

Left up in the air was whether or not the committee would go ahead with its plans to hire more paramedics and buy an ambulance if municipalities had to shoulder the cost alone. But the mayors generally felt that they have to proceed even if they have to pay for the upgrades on their own.

“We still have to live here,” said Brockville Coun. Mike Kalivas, adding that ambulances are a necessary service regardless of who pays.

Amid concern over the downloading, mayors expressed sympathy for the financial plight of the provincial government.

Everybody is raising a hue and cry over the downloading, said Augusta Mayor Doug Malanka, but nobody raised that same hue and cry when the former government was piling up massive deficits and debts.

Warden Pat Sayeau said the government cuts are aimed at only bringing down the $10.3-billion deficit, it doesn’t tackle the enormous $350-billion debt.

“The sky is not falling,” Sayeau said of the downloading. “An apple might be falling, but not the sky.”

All of the news at the joint services meeting was not bad, however. The government has lifted its freeze on the construction of new child-care spaces in Gananoque, Kemptville and Elgin, Alison Tutak, director of community and social services, told the committee.

The Ministry of Education had put the Gananoque and Kemptville daycare expansions on hold until the provincial budget. After the budget, the ministry was able to release the money, which will add 10 spots in Gananoque and 17 in Kemptville.